The present invention relates to fluid distribution devices which are particularly useful as drip irrigation emitters. The invention also relates to a method and apparatus for making such devices.
One known type of drip emitter, commonly called a linearsource emitter or tube dripper, includes a continuous tube formed with a plurality of longitudinally-spaced outlet openings such that the tube serves both as a feed tube for feeding the water, and as an emitter for emitting the water at low rates at longitudinally-spaced locations along the tube length. A large number of different constructions have been proposed, for example as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,777,987, 3,887,138, 3,981,452 and 4,053,109. To date, however, the drip irrigation technique has been commercially applied only to a small fraction of crops requiring irrigation mainly because of the high cost of manufacture and/or the high sensitivity to clogging of the known emitter devices.
An object of the present invention is to provide a fluid-distribution device particularly useful as a drip irrigation emitter which may be produced at low cost by a continuous manufacturing process, and which provides low sensitivity to clogging.